In addition to concerts, the center hosts an array of all-ages programs and workshops that focus on everything from dance and theater to health and classes in African, Brazilian and Japanese taiko drumming. The center also houses a vegetarian cafe called The Prophet and offers low-cost classes in graphic arts, web design, radio and TV broadcasting, events production and more.

“Martin Luther King is my hero and we dedicated the World Beat Center to him,” Dread said. “The center is a place to heal and express ourselves through music, art and culture. We’re focused on children and families and all the people coming together. We don’t get funding, like the big museums in Balboa Park. But we remain here, because we work hard.”